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2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. P. COLEMAN., ELEGTRIGALLY GONTROLLBD DERAILS FOR RAILWAY UROSSINGS.

Patented Nov. 10,1896.

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J. P. COLEMAN.

ELBGTRIGALLY GONTRULLED DERAILS FOR RAILWAYV CROSSINGS. IIa-571,107. Patented Nov. 10, 1896.

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:was ca. rnofoumo.. wAsNmmnN n c UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

eIOHN PRESSLEY COLEMAN, OF EDGE'WOOD PARK, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNION SWITCH AND SIGNAL COMPANY, OF SWISSVALE, PENN- SYLVANIA.

ELECTRlCALLY-CONTROLLED DERAILS FOR RAILWAY-CROSSINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 571,107', dated November 10, 1896. Application filed June 1, 1896.v Serial No. 593,785. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN PREssLEr COLE- MAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Edgewood Park, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Electrically-Controlled Derails for Railway-Crossings, of which improvements the following is a specification.

io The invention described herein relates to certain improvements in electric locking for the switches and signals of a sin gle-track-rai lway grade-crossing.

It is customary to provide derailingswitches and home and distant signals controlling the movement of trains in both directions on tracks crossing at grade, the derailing-switches and the several signals being connected by suitable mechanism to operat- 2oV ing-leversarranged in the tower at or near the point of crossing of the tracks,`and the several levers of the switches and signals in the tower are interlocked, so that the signals of one track cannot be cleared until its dez 5 rails are at clear main line, and when the derails of one line are cleared the derails of the other line are locked in normal or open position. When it is desired to permit a train on one of the tracks to proceed over the crossing, 3o the derailing-switch for said track is set to clear main line, and the movement of the lever for so setting the switch operates through the mechanical interlocking to lock the levers for operating the derailing-switches of the 3 5 other track at normal or open position and unlocks the home or distant signal of the track to be used. The home signal is next set to safety, thereby, through the mechanical interlocking in the tower, locking the de- 4o rail of the track to-clear main line. The distant signal is next set to safety, thereby locking the home signal at safety The foregoing describes the usual practice, but as it is possible with an apparatus arranged as described for an operator, after the train has passed the distant signal at full speed, as it will have a right to do, to set such sigv nal at danger, then set the home signal to cdanger, and iinally throw open the derail- 5o ing switches before the train has reached the home signal. Under such circumstances it would be impossible for the train to be checked before reaching the derailing-switch,

so that the train is liable to be derailed and an accident to occur through the carelessness 5 5 of the signal-operator.

It is the object of the present invention to prevent any such accidental operation of the derailing-switch. It is not considered good practice to lock the signals at safety for 6o the reason that something might occur which would render it desirable to stop a train even after it has passed a distant signal and prevent its proceeding over the crossing. Hence in the practice of my invention I have provided for the locking of the derailing-switches at clear main line, and the holding of the switches in such locked position after thetrain has passed the distant signal, while permitting of the free operation of the signals 7o governing such line, so that a train may be stoppedV from proceeding over a crossing and without any liability of derailing the same. In other words, my improvement permits of the taking away of the signals from a tiainwhile maintaining the track over which the train is proceeding in a safe condition until after the train has proceeded over the crossing.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a 8o part of'this specification, Figure l illustrates diagrammatically a single-track crossing and the several switches and signals with the circuits controlling movements of trains along thetracks. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing 8 5 the connection from the derails to their operating-levers, and Fig. 3 is a detail view showing a form of electric lock for the operatinglevers.

At a suitable distance on each side of the 9o crossing are arranged the home signals l la and 1b l", controlling the movement of trains over the tracks A and B. At a suitable distance beyond these home signals are arranged the distant signals 3, 3, 3", and 3C. The sec- 95 tions of tracks between the home and distant signals are insulated, and the rails of said tracks form parts of the circuits of the batteries 2*, 2", 2, and 2d, The relays t 4a 4b 40 are also lincluded in said circuits. Within roo the home signals the tracks are insulated from the outer sections and also from each other at the crossing, forming tWo track-sections 'e and f. The section c forms part of the circuit of the battery g, in whose circuit is included the magnet 5, and the section f forms part of the circuit of the battery 7i, in whose circuit is included the magnet 5f.

To the'levers in the tower employed for operating the derail-switches are applied electrically-controlled locks (indicated at 6 63) of any suitable form and so constructed as to operate and hold the levers in their shifted position when the circuits controlling the locks are broken. The circuit for the vlocks consists, starting from battery 7 ,of Wire 8, locks 6 6a, wire 9, contact-point 10, armature 11 of magnet 12, wire 13, armature 14 of magnet 15, contact-point 1'6, wire 17, to battery. The circuit of 4magnet 12 consists, starting from battery 13, of wire 19, `armature 20, and contact-point of relay 12, wire 21, relay 12, wire 22, contact-pointjand armature 23 and 24 of relay 4, wire 25, contact-point andarmature 26 'and 2-7 of 'relay u, Wire 28, armature and contact-point 29 and 30 of relay 4r, wire 31, contact-point and armature l32 and 33-of relay 4b, wire 34, to battery. Each ofthe relays 4, 4, 4l?, and 4C is shunted by circuit-breakers 35, 35a, 35", and 35C, whichfare closed when the signal is in normal or danger position, but

' are opened when'the homesignal isshifted to safety, so that the presence of a train upon any of the track-sections a, l), c, or d will not affect the circuit through relay 12 unless `the home signal controlling such track-section is at safety. Y

In describing the operation of my improved apparatus it will be supposed that a train `is to'proceed over thecrossing `-along ytrack -B in thedirection of the arrow 0c. All the deraills being in normal condition, the operator shifts the lever connected to derail-switches 36 36, thereby shifting said-switches to clear main line, and also locking, through'the mechanical interlocking in the tower, the derailswitches 36a and 361 to open .position,'and also locking'the home signals 1v1d and distant signals 3, 3a, and`3b to danger position. The operator next shifts the home signal 1c to safety, thereby locking thelever of d-erails 36 363'as against movement and alsovopening the circuit-breaker'3`5C inthe main lock-circuit. The distant signal 3C is next cleared, thereby locking the homcsignal 1c to danger. A train is now free to pass along track 13 over the crossing. As a train enters upon track-section d relay v4c is short-.cireuited, thereby breaking the main loc'kingscircuit through magnet 12 at the make-and-'break mechanism, consisting of armature v.2"7 and contact-point 26. y

The breaking of the circuit through magnet 12 breaks the circuit through the locks 6 6a4 of the levers for operatingthe derail-switches at the make-and-break mechanism, consist` ing of the armature 11 and contact-point 10,

and beyond the homesignal 1k?.

thereby locking the levers of the derailswitches as against any movement regardless of the position of the home-signal lever. As the locking of these derail-levers does not af feet the levers operating the signals 1c and 3c said signals may be thrown to danger7 and hold a train upon track-section CZ or upon track-section c. The movement of home signal 1c to danger will close thevshunting circuit-breaker 35, and thereby close the circuit through magnet 12, but this will not af- 'fect the circuit through the derail-locks 6 6, for the reason that the circuit in which the circuit-breaker 35C is included cannot be restored until after the magnet 12 is renergized, and this can only b'e effected by the completion of the shunt-circuit including armature 37 and back-stop 3S of magnet 15. The completion of this shunt-'circuit through magnet 1.2 is dependent upon the denergizing of magnet 15, whose circuit consists, starting from battery 38, of Wire 39, magnet 15, wire 40, armature and contact-point 4l vand 42 of relay 5, wire 43, contact-point and armature 44 and 45 of `relay 5, wire 46, 'to battery. Magnet 15 will thus be .denergized by the entrance `of a train Yupon track-section e, thereby cutting out 'magnet 5 and opening 'the circuit of magnet 15 -at the make-andbreak mechanism, consisting ofarmature 45 andcontact-point 44. Simultaneous with the completion of the shuntcircuit of magnet l2 fby the denergization of ymagnet 15 the circuit,'through locks Gand 62, is broken vby the movement of armature 14 and magnet 15 away-from itscontact-.p'oint 16, thereby forming -another break in the-lock-circuit simultaneous with the closingof Athe make-andbreak mechanism 10fand 11,'due to -the energizing `of magnet 12. Magnet 15 will be `maintained in its Vdeen'ergi-zed state until after a train lhas proceeded over 5the crossing As soon as the-train leavestrack--sectionc the make-andbreak Amechanism 441and 45 will be restored,

`magnet 15 renergized, and the break in the locks 6 and 6ab will be'closed,thereby unlocka ing the derail-levers and `permitting their restoration to normal position.

From the foregoing it'will be -seen that while the-several signals controlling track B `may be shifted freely to rand from danger position, the condition of the track, it -having once beenplacedin'condition.for the passage of-atrain over'the crossing, cannot, after the ltrain hasentered upon the'track-section controlled -by the 'distant signal, be in any Way changed except by the train proceeding over `the crossing and beyond the home signal ontheopposite side of the crossing, whereby the derailingswitches vare vunlocked.

The1makeandbreak mechanisms 35 35, &c., serve to hold the controlling-circuit closed 'in case a train should accidentally enter one of the track-sections a, 19,*or c and thereby short-circuit the relays 4, 4, and 4b IOO Igo

and open the make-and-break mechanisms operated by said relays in the controlling-circuit. The result of the presence of a train on either of the track-sections, and consequent opening of the controlling-circuit while the derail switches are open or normal, would be to lock the switch-operating levers in normal position and hold them until the train backed oft or the circuit otherwise Closed. Such accidental locking of the levers is prevented by the shunt make-and-break mechanisms 85 35a, Live., which hold the circuit closed while the home signals are at danger, regardless of the presence of a train on the track-sections a b, (he.

Any suitable form of electric lock for the levers may be used, such,for example, as that shown in Fig. 3, consisting of a pivoted latch 47 and catch 47a,having its free end connected to the armature of the magnet 41S and provided with a notch for the reception of a proj ection on the rod 4),which is connected to the lever 50.

I claim herein as my inventionl. The combination of two intersecting tracks, derail-switches arranged in said tracks on opposite sides of their intersection, levers for operating said switches, electrically-controlled locks for said levers, make-and-loreak mechanisms included in the circuit controlling said locks and located at points outside the derail-switches, an auxiliary lock-controlling circuit, and make-and-break mechanisms included in said circuits and located inside the derail-switches, `the make-and-break mechanisms in the main and auxiliary circuits being adapted to be operated by the passage of ltrains along the tracks, substantially as set forth. 4

2. The combination of two intersecting tracks, signals controlling the movement of trains along said tracks, derail-switches arranged in said tracks on opposite sides of their intersection, levers for operating said switches, electrically-controlled locks for said levers, a circuit for controlling said locks, make-and-break mechanisms operated by the passage of a train and arranged in said circuit outside of the derail-switches, make-andbreak mechanisms controlled by the signals and adapted, when closed, to shunt the makeand-break mechanisms operated by the train, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

VJOHN PRESSLEY COLEMAN.

Vitnesses:

DARWIN S. WoLcoTT, M. S. MURPHY. 

